A Balanced Approach To Demons

Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. . . . You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
–1 John 4:3-4

You may be one of those Christians who is a little wary of the whole subject of spiritual warfare. You believe in the existence of Satan and the demons, you are aware that there is a conflict going on, but you are not sure what you can do about it, if anything at all. You sure don’t want to do anything weird, like exorcising demons out of your friends and family members. I understand that. The fact is, we do not have to do anything weird to ward off the influence of Satan–to protect our faith, our family, and our future.

Neil Anderson has said that the world of demons is a lot like the world of germs. People tend to go to one of two extremes when it comes to germs. Some people are completely unaware of germs, and they do not take any precautions against getting sick. At the other end of the spectrum are people who are scared to death of germs. They are paranoid about going out in public. They scrub their hands over and over and over. The truth is, germs are real, but if you take some simple precautions, you do not have to obsess about the danger of germs.

It is the same way with the spirit world. Some Christians are completely unaware of demons; others look for a demon under every bush. I believe Satan is just as pleased by those who are unaware of him as he is by those who give him a place of prominence he really should not occupy. In the preface to his book “The Screwtape Letters,” C. S. Lewis wrote, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors.” Yes, we need to be aware of Satan and his demons, but we do not have to be frightened and we certainly do not have to obsess about them. We can be balanced in our approach to demons and to Satan.

But do not mistake being balanced with being passive. We cannot be passive in this very real war we are in the middle of. The ancient warrior Sun Tzu observed, “The art of war is of vital importance. . . . It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.” Right now you are in the midst of an invisible but very real war. The stakes are high. Your enemy is skilled and determined. You must be aware of and prepared for the fight, and in the weeks ahead we are going to learn strategies from Scripture to help you win the greatest battle of all.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Winning Your Unseen Battles” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2010.

Neil T. Anderson and Joanne Anderson, “Your Best Defense” in “Daily In Christ” (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1993), July 8; C. S. Lewis, “The Screwtape Letters” (New York: HarperOne, 2001), ix; Sun Tzu, “The Art Of War” (El Paso Norte, 2011), 1.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.